


Mono no aware

by goddessofcheese



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: in which bungie made me sad about noodles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 18:44:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20532791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddessofcheese/pseuds/goddessofcheese
Summary: Ramen -- a type of pulled noodles, served in a meat or fish-based broth. Often served with seaweed, hardboiled eggs, or menma. Best enjoyed with friends in the Last City.Dedicated to @reodraws on twitter for this fantastic fanart: https://twitter.com/reodraws/status/1056938166316236801





	Mono no aware

Shiro-4 is learning new things every day. Things like, hey I'm alive again. Shiro-4 is my name. I'm been brought back to fight aliens and robots and who knows what else, possibly for eternity. Life is rough. Or always has been maybe.

It's been a long week of just being newly reborn.

And today... today, he's learning the importance of knowing what type of ramen you're ordering.

"See, if you get the shio style--" A bowl is held up to his face until it encompasses nearly his entire worldview, the broth inside nearly splashing out of it and into his hood. The steam fogs up his eyes immediately. "--that's your average ramen, your working man's noodles so to speak. Plain. Simple. Traditional. Most folks think that's the only one you can get."

Shiro looks down at the bowl as it's set down before him. It looks like... noodles. Yep, he knows what noodles are, that's nice.

"But that's not true!" The man to his right picks up another bowl, continuing his lesson with dramatic emphasis. "Enter, the tonkotsu. They make it from boiling the bones and fat right into the stuff. Doesn't sound good, I know, I know, but trust me on this one. Completely different experience!"

The bowl he sets down now is... yep, more noodles. The scent curling off of it is pleasant, just like the other one, but if there's a big difference, he couldn't really tell as of yet. They're basically same, if you were to ask Shiro. But no one has, so he doesn't say as such, and continues to listen.

"Blech, I don't like that one," says the man to his left. He props his chin into his hand and shrugs, as if exasperated by this ongoing tutoring. Though Shiro has not missed the tug of a smile on the corners of his mouth. "Too creamy. If I wanted creamy noodles, I'd go to that place that makes it with cheese and those little hot dogs. Mmm mm."

The other man sucked in his breath sharply; being an Exo, his metallic voice gave it an extra hissing of disgust. "You're an animal."

"I'm just sayin'."

"Anyway! Wait where was I? Oh yeah, yeah, I'll be right back."

Shiro spends some time thinking about who exactly is paying for all this stuff while the other Exo disappears back to the counter, talking animatedly with its cashier. The other man, the Human, idly chews on a toothpick and chuckles. Once they're alone, he whispers, "Don't worry, you get used to it. How you holding up, kid?"

"Is it that obvious that I'm new."

"Ohh yeah. Everyone is, when their Light is sparkly and new. You're lucky you bumped into us so we can show you around."

"Uh, we've been just at this shop for nearly half an h--" But he's cut off again as the other Exo, sharply blue in comparison to Shiro's own dark gray and orange, plops onto the stool by him and slides over another bowl. It was, yep, it was in fact noodles once more. 

Who was paying for all of this, exactly?

"Shōyu! Do you like soy sauce? You look like a guy who likes soy sauce." Before Shiro can actually confirm or deny this, he carries on. "Shōyu is the stuff you go to when you just want that wham pow right in your face flavor if you ask me. Never skimp on the eggs, trust me. Now that's just the basics, but if you are up for it, there's the miso and karē--"

Enough.

Shiro holds up his hands in defense before bringing them down hard enough on the table to make the chopsticks rattle. "Look, now, you've been pretty friendly, I'll give you that. But I just asked for directions to the Vanguard, I wasn't asking for a lunch date or whatever this is. Y-you didn't even tell me your names! And I don't have any of that glimmer. I can't pay for this, you know!"

The result is immediate; both men gasp and pull away, their faces portraits of distress.

"Pay! Who said anything about paying?"

"Yeah kid, what do you think we are, Warlocks or something?"

Oh. Maybe he's... misunderstood. "My Ghost said something about needing glimmer to get things in the Tower," he says quietly. "Everyone's got to carry their weight."

A silence passes between them, awkward for all of its time, before the Human claps his hand on Shiro's back. He leans in close, with a bit of his dark hair falling onto his brow.

"Listen. You're right."

"I am?"

"Yeah. We figured you knew about the Freebie. Shouldn't have assumed."

"I'm... not sure what a Freebie is. Is that another ramen thing?"

"Not the kind you're thinking. It's a tradition. If you're a Hunter and you see a greenhorn come in, all alone and no place to go, you put him on the path. Get some food in him. Give him someone to talk to. A friendly face. It's the right thing to do."

"Yeah!" Curling an arm around Shiro's shoulders, the Exo gives him a little shake. "Not everyone's first rez is a good one. Trust me I know. So it's a rule that your first Tower visit's gotta be good instead."

"Maybe we got a bit carried away though," says the human apologetically. "Here, let's start over." 

Shiro looks down at the hand offered to him and then back up to its owner, who is smiling. Funny. He can see the amusement in it, but also a genuine sense of apology. He takes the hand and shakes it firmly; the man's grip is confident but not crushing, just gentle enough to give.

"I'm Andal. Andal Brask." When Andal smiles, it's with his whole face, his eyes crinkling under the force of it. An honest face, Shiro decides. He likes it.

As soon as he lets him go, he turns and offers his hand to the other Hunter, but it's shaken off. 

"Eh I don't like being all formal and gentleman-ly like my partner here. Call me Cayde. Cayde-6 if you wanna get fancy. Here." Cayde slides over one of the bowls to him. The tonkotsu, still hot and fresh. He smiles too, as much as any Exo can, but Shiro can feel it as much as see it. "And this one's on me, newbie. Welcome to the City."

Shiro takes up a spoon, dips it into the broth, and takes his first sip in his first meal on his first day here.

They're right. It's just what he needs.

* * *

It's a different shop now. Different Tower, of course. The old one had tables where this one is just the bar. Their bowls are chipped, not from age but a disaster barely survived. They don't boil their bones as long, he thinks, or maybe he's just getting picky in his old age. And as he sits there, the stools to his left and to his right are so painfully empty that he can't find it in him to acknowledge it even as he scares other patrons off from sitting in them for reasons he doesn't want to deal with thinking about today. But regardless, Shiro finds himself in front of a chef as they fill up the bowl and place it in front of him. He looks down into it as they turn to get him his drink. The broth still curls in motion, not knowing it's not going anywhere. It's hard not to lose his focus in staring down at it. But just as he loses focus, the steam hits his face. It makes him feel clean and warm again for the first time since...

The first time in a while.

He's not even really hungry, if he admits it to himself. But here he is.

Shiro picks up his chopsticks and prepares to dig in when someone ever so gently tugs at his sleeve. Connected to it, a pale green-skinned hand and further up a face that looks more than a little concerned.

"S-sorry to bother you. But are you a Guardian?"

"If Saladin sent you, no. If not, then yes." His eyes look over the fabric wrapped around the Awoken woman's head and shoulders, dark hair peeking out. She must have noticed because she pulls at a loose thread in it anxiously. "Your Ghost pick that out for you?"

"Y-yeah! She said it'd help me stay hidden. We ran into some some of those weird bug aliens on the way here."

"Well, you're here now. You must be pretty good at hiding."

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think so. It felt like the right thing to do."

The Traveler loves irony, he supposes.

"Yeah. Yeah, I bet." Shiro gestures to the empty seats on either side of him. "Hey. Take a seat. Welcome home."

**Author's Note:**

> Posted without a beta so please feel free to point out any errors or repeating words


End file.
